Dr. Farzana Mahdi Organizes Virtual International Conference for Health Professions Education
Dr. Farzana Mahdi
Vice Chancellor
Era University
Lucknow, India
A three-day Virtual International Conference for Health Professions Education (VICHPE-2021), with an emphasis on “Health Professionals of Tomorrow: Agents of Educational Reforms,” was jointly organized by Era University, Lucknow, India, and Al Sadiq International Virtual University (SIVU), from April 6-8, 2021. The conference involved nearly 40 FAIMER Fellows from all over the world. Professor Farzana Mahdi (GSMC 2013), Vice Chancellor of Era University, served as the patron of the conference and the main organizer. She was supported by Era University Vice-Presidents Dr. Sucheta Dandekar (IFI 2010) and Dr. Nirmala Rege (IFI 2015), and Dr. Anuja Bhargava (MAHE 2020).
The conference featured 12 invited lectures, 53 poster presentations, and more than 600 virtual registrants. Additionally, eight pre-conference workshops focused on the newly introduced competency-based medical education in India. Interprofessional education, leadership strategies, and scholarship were also discussed.
The four current Directors of the Indian FAIMER regional institutes (FRIs), Dr. Thomas Chacko (PSG-FRI), Dr. Ciraj Ali Mohammad (MAHE-FRI), Dr. Dinesh Badyal (CMCL-FRI), and Dr. Henal Shah (GSMC-FRI), led workshops and panel discussions. Past FRI Directors were also involved, with Dr. Tejinder Singh (IFI 2003) presenting on Programmatic Assessment and Dr. Avinash Supe (IFI 2002) delivering a keynote address titled "CBME: Curriculum for Physicians of Tomorrow."
The Director of the International FAIMER Institute, Dr. Rashmi Vyas (IFI 2003), delivered a presentation titled "Faculty Development for Health Professionals Towards Educational Reforms."
Fellows Dr. Arun Jamkar (IFI 2004), Dr. Vivek Saoji (IFI 2003), Dr. Ram Prasad, Dr. Mariya Jiandani (GSMC 2014), Dr. Nishant Manapure, Dr. Himanshu Pandya (CMCL 2007), Dr. Soumendra Sahoo (CMCL 2012), and Dr. Latha Ananthakrishnan (IFI 2019) participated in the panel discussions. Fellows Dr. Rashmi Kusurkar (GSMC 2006), Dr. Purnima Barua (CMCL 2015), Dr. Anand R contributed as workshop presenters. The presentations were judged by 15 FAIMER Fellows now serving as faculty at the four India FRIs.
Training received in FAIMER Institutes, especially the sessions on leadership, change management, and the skills of a change agent, helped to craft various sessions meant to guide the participants across the country.